


The Tea's Gone Mad

by SkellingtonZero



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Abuse, Bad Parenting, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Drama, England (Country), Family Drama, Horror, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Murder, Neglect, Other, Psychological Horror, Running Away, theme warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-01-04
Packaged: 2018-03-05 11:29:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 12,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3118496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkellingtonZero/pseuds/SkellingtonZero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My name is Hikaru. My father is a monster. My mother is crazy. And the only person I can trust, depend on and save is my twin brother Kaoru. Is that normal? It can't be. Right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nightmares From the Past

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. No copyright infringement intended.

_I held back the tears burning my eyes as I dragged my hysteric twin brother out of the bright house and into the dark night. Together we stumbled down the gravel driveway in the direction of our black Hummer, my arms wrapped securely around his quivering form._

_We had to run._

_We had to get out of here._

_We had to move._

_“Keep quiet Kaoru.” I mumbled as his gasps began to turn into muffled screams of pain. “I know it hurts.” I glanced down at the blood oozing from his arm then turned my gaze back to the shimmering Hummer in the distance. “But stop screaming. Keep your mouth shut.”_

_He’s in pain._

_I know he is._

_But we needed to leave._

_Now._

_“It hurts Hi…Hikaru…” He whimpered and stumbled to the ground. I grabbed his slumped form before he collided with the cold rocks and held him up._

_“Shit shit shit!” I whispered and glanced behind me to see the shadows moving throughout the house._

_Time was running out._

_Soon they’d know we weren’t there._

_Panicked, I began to slap Kaoru. “Wake up!” I slapped his cheek. “Come on! Wake up!”_

_Groggily, his eyes fluttered open and he regained control of his legs._

_“Get moving!” I pulled him to the Hummer._

_Behind us I heard yelling._

_Fuck._

_They figured it out._

_I leaned Kaoru up against the cold car and pulled the ring of keys from my pocket. “Stay with me Kaoru.” I mumbled and opened the driver’s door manually. “Don’t pass out on me again.”_

_Slowly he nodded at me._

_I leaned inside the Hummer and opened the passenger door._

_“Come on.” I grabbed his aching body and pulled him to the passenger side and opened the door. “Get in.” I hurriedly shoved him inside and shut the door then sprinted to the driver’s side and shoved the key in the ignition. “Buckle up.” I ordered._

_“Hikaru….”_

_I glanced beside me as I reversed out of the driveway._

_There Kaoru sat, hunched over his bleeding arm, his face contorted in pain._

_I breathed deeply and bit my lower lip as I drove away from the horror that was our house._

_“Don’t worry Kaoru.” I murmured, rubbing his back with one hand as I drove the car with the other. “I’ll get you to a hospital.”_

_Just then I heard gunshots fire behind us._

**OOO**

I woke in a cold sweat.

With a start, my neck snapped to the side to see my younger twin brother sleeping beside me, his body curled in my direction with the familiar scar running along his lifeless forearm.

Slowly I sat up and ran my long fingers through my sweaty scalp.

Every night.

Every goddamn night.

I re-live that fucking nightmare.

**OOO**


	2. Morning Blues

The next morning I awoke to the sound of running water. I sat up, feeling the cold chill hit my bare chest as I rubbed the palms of my hands into my eyes.

My body ached, I felt like I didn’t sleep at all.

Damn that nightmare.

Over and over.

Replaying in my head every fucking night.

I sighed and swung my legs out of bed and went in search of Kaoru.

The room was dark and the blinds were still drawn. We didn’t have much furniture. Only one king sized bed, a dresser, and a loveseat in the room. It’s not because we didn’t want more; but we couldn’t afford it.

I walked out of our large, empty room and into the endless hall. It was completely devoid of any color.

No pictures, paintings, or mirrors.

Completely stark white.

He wasn’t there.

I grimaced and walked to the bathroom to relieve myself.

I hated when I couldn’t find him easily but I couldn’t hold in my piss any longer. Blearily, I opened the bathroom door, clicked on the light and walked to the porcelain thrown that was known as the toilet. With a sigh, I opened the hole in my flannel pajama pants and let it all flow out.

It felt good.

Real good.

The coil in my stomach momentarily uncurled.

Then I stopped, fixed the button on my pants, and the coil tightened once again.

I flushed the toilet, watching for a split second as the water flowed out of the pipes and filled the bowl.

Completely different than back in Japan.

A true marvel.

I shook my head and turned on the faucet, feeling the cold water splash onto my hands. Slowly I flexed my hands, watching as my long fingers divided the flow of water.

“Hikaru is that you?” I heard Karou’s familiar, worried voice echoed under the door.

“I’m in here.” I answered, relief flooding through my body. With a smile, I cupped some cold water in the palm of my hand and splashed it on my face as I heard the click of the bathroom door open and grabbed my toothbrush.

“Hey…” He spoke, walking up to my side and sticking his finger under the running faucet. “You should stop washing your face in cold water.” He grabbed the tube of toothpaste and squeezed out some onto my waiting toothbrush.

“Why?” I straightened up, standing my full height, which was exactly the same as his, and stuck the toothbrush in my mouth.

With a shrug he patted me on my bare shoulder and turned to walk away. “You’ll get sick.” He stated then shoved one hand in his pajama pant pocket. “I made breakfast.”

I watched as he strode off down the hall, his bare arms swaying. He wore blue and black flannel pajama pants and a simple white tee shirt.

I shook my head and turned back to the mirror above the sink and stared at my reflection.

Slowly I began to brush my teeth, my nightmare once again running through my mind. I began thinking about our past, and eventually our future.

What the hell are we going to do?

“Hikaru would you hurry up?” Kaoru’s voice traveled up to the bathroom.

I snapped out of my stupor and finished up then jogged down the stairs and into the spacious kitchen and watched as he walked around the kitchen, grabbing glasses and plates.

I suppose I should tell you what’s really going on right?

I mean, it’s only fair isn’t it?

My name is Hikaru Hitachiin.

Karou is my twin brother.

And this, is our horror story.

**OOO**


	3. Ophelia and Schizophrenia

We were born to a rich, aristocrat family.

Our mother was a famous fashion designer and our father an important computer software designer.

We were spoiled.

We were arrogant.

And we were naive.

Our father and mother were monsters.

They hated yet loved us.

Kaoru and I are identical twins, the only difference being the way we part our hair, mine to right, his to the left.

We were annoying little children admittedly. We played mind games with everyone and loved to screwed people over.

Our parents grew sick of us.

And at the age of seven we were separated.

I went to stay at my grandparents and Kaoru stayed with them.

At the age of sixteen, we were reunited. But only because I ran away from my home in search of him.

I found them in Tokyo, Japan.

Moved in.

And we spent every waking moment together. 

It lasted seven months.

At the age of seventeen we left.

Why did we leave?

Why did we give up a life of luxury and grandeur?

Simple. Our father was a schizophrenic; he abused Kaoru. He fucked with his mind. He forced my poor baby brother to do psychotic things; torturing the help, antagonizing the butlers, freaking out the children that sold candy.

And murdering. Just to name a few.

I thank whatever God that smiled on us that Kaoru never had to kill.

I couldn’t live with myself if he was forced to do such a thing.

And mother?

Well her name should have been Ophelia.

She was obsessed with perfection. Everything had to be perfect. From her clothing designs to me.

Which I could never achieve.

She was also bipolar.

Try sitting down for breakfast with that every morning that will give you a mind fuck.

So I decided that I would take Kaoru away from that shitty house and together we would start over. We would leave all the blood, tears, and pain behind and start anew.

The night we left, more blood was shed than I ever thought possible. Our mother was hysteric, our father kept shouting about demons, and Kaoru was stabbed.

With a heavy, terrified heart I dragged my beloved brother onto the first plane out of Japan and never looked back.

Except for in my nightmares.

“Hikaru?” I looked up to see Kaoru staring down at me, his wonderful, alive face inches from mine.

“Yeah?” I raised an eyebrow at him and took the cup of coffee he was holding.

With a breath of relief he leaned back, a small smile on his face.

What did he want?

“We need to go shopping.”

“What for?”

I really didn’t feel like shopping.

It wasn’t my sort of thing.

“Your job. You need a suit remember? Our boss was adamant about looking good Hikaru.”

Oh right.

I forgot we got a job being hosts.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. “Don’t you need a suit too?” I grumbled, not at all happy with the situation.

“Yeah…but I won’t be a pain in the ass like you.”

I sulked then stood up and shoved a piece of toast in my mouth.

**OOO**


	4. Unfamilar Looks

We lived in a large enough house in the rural part of London England. It was a low key kind of neighborhood; the neighbors were courteous enough and respected our desperate need for privacy. They bid us good day when they saw us and brought over our mail when they accidentally received it, but no one dared ask us to come over for afternoon tea.

I’m not saying we looked like evil people or anything.

But we were broken.

And they saw that.

It was written on their faces the first time they met us.

I took a deep breath then opened the front door and was greeted with a burst of cool autumn air. “Kaoru don’t forget a jacket.” I called into the house as I pulled my trench coat closer to my body.

Living in England was completely different from living in Japan.

For one we needed to perfect our English.

Never before was I so happy to have learned something in school.

I took a sweeping glance around. Everything looked okay. There were people walking up and down the sidewalk in front of our gate, down the street to the right sat the post, to the left a small park. Nothing unfamiliar.

“Good morning…Hik…Kao…uh…” I looked over to the right to see one of our neighbors; a middle-aged man wearing a suit and tie holding a briefcase waved at me.

He always got confused.

Not that I blamed him, no one can tell us apart after all.

“Morning Sir.” I smiled and waved. He was a nice guy, he always tried to call us by name but in the end, he always failed. I think he worked down at the bank but I wasn’t entirely sure. The first day we moved in he came over with a box full of scones, finger sandwiches and hot tea and introduced himself. He was quite pleasant and offered his help but we couldn’t accept it. We were in danger, and I wasn’t about to put us in any more than we already were in.

I mean really, like two twin Japanese boys didn’t stick out enough.

We really didn’t need any more attention drawn to us.

“Alright I’m ready.” Kaoru stepped up next to me and locked the door.

“Okay, lets g-”

“Mommy Mommy! Who are they?” A little girl walking with her mother stopped in front of our house and pointed.

I rolled my eyes as a little girl tugged on her mother’s arm and pointed at us.

The Mother blushed and picked up her little girl. “Darling no!” She chastised her daughter then turned to face us. “Terribly sorry about this…” She trailed off.

We sure as hell stuck out here but we couldn’t stay in Japan.

Not while our father was still alive.

I sent her a half smile and shook my head. “Don’t worry about it Miss. Quite alright.”

“Yeah it’s okay.” Kaoru smiled.

The Mother nodded, her cheeks stained red. “Oh…well then bye.” She waved goodbye with one hand and continued walking.

“Cheerio Miss.” Kaoru called after her then nudged my shoulder. “Let’s go Hikaru.”

I nodded and followed him down the stairs and up to the rot iron gate. In seconds Kaoru had it unlocked and stepped through with me following.

As Kaoru re-locked the gate I looked back at our home. It was made of stone, and had three levels. It was connected to all the other houses on the block, something that took some getting used to. It’s called a Terraced house. I wanted a Detached house, or at least a Semi-Detached house but we couldn’t afford it. Anyways all the shades were drawn and all the windows locked. It looked a little depressing. We hadn’t bothered to dress it up like most others had; we didn’t have the money. Even our front door looked miserable.

Plain white.

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the cool air, and then released it.

I stuck my hands into my coat pocket and looked to my right at the streetlight.

It was decorated with some green garland.

The hell?

I frowned.

Why would?

Oh.

I got it.

Christmas.

Shit.

Shit shit shit.

How can I forget about-

I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. “Hikaru? We better get going.” Kaoru spoke gently, looping his arm through mine.

“Yeah.” I mumbled, and glanced back at our front door. It’s plain gold lock glistening in the midmorning sun.

**OOO**


	5. Young and Naïve

Together we walked down the street, Kaoru’s arm resting on my forearm. We got some strange looks but no one particularly cared.

That’s England for you.

We rounded the corner and I squinted my eyes. The sun was now directly in front of us, warming our cold bodies but blinding us at the same time. A few stores down sat our destination.

It’s a small shop run by an old man who specialized in making suits and tuxes.

We strolled in, arm in arm and relaxed as the warm air greeted us.

“Well well if it isn’t Hikaru and Kaoru.” The Old Man greeted us from behind the long counter. I found this place the first week we got to London; it was cold, I was only wearing a tee-shirt, and I dodged in here to avoid getting wet. He was kind, but worried and with a smile, he offered me some tea and warmer clothes. Ever since then I kept coming back.

And brought Kaoru with me.

“Hi Ojii-San.” I greeted. Shit. This isn’t Japan.

He looked at me funny then smiled.

“Hello.” Kaoru unhooked his arm from mine and stepped forward, further into the store. “Forgive him, his Japanese slips sometimes.”

“Ah.” The Old Man nodded wisely. “What can I help you twins with today?”

I sighed and found a chair over in the corner and sunk down into it.

I’ll let Kaoru get his suit first.

I wasn’t in any rush.

Besides, he took forever to get dressed.

I chewed on my lower lip as I watched Kaoru pick out a suite.

As much as I hated to admit it, Kaoru wasn’t fine; he couldn’t be.

He lived in that psychotic house all his life, while I lived with my grandparents.

I was away from the madness.

He was trapped in it.

I sighed and massaged my forehead with my forefinger and thumb.

Logically Kaoru must have some sort of mental illness.

But what?

I watched as he moved from rack to rack, his long fingers gliding over the different fabrics with ease.

He seemed normal, perfectly normal.

So was I the one who was mad?

Did I inherit the disease instead of him?

I closed my eyes and reclined my head against the chair.

Is it possible for him to survive such trauma without any scars? 

Not after he witnessed all of that bloodshed.

**OOO**

_Our father was a cold man._

_He was distant._

_Agitated._

_And highly paranoid._

_Paranoid to the point that he had an entire security system built to protect his office._

_I never went into that room._

_I stared up at the locked, grand door in front of me._

_It was huge with random wood carvings._

_My gaze flickered to the security lock next to the door._

_There was no way I could crack the code to enter that room._

_Not that I wanted to._

_I never want to have to step foot in that wrenched chamber of his._

_I sighed and turned around to see Kaoru standing there, in the large hallway._

_“Hey.” He spoke quietly. “Whatcha doing?”_

_I shrugged. “Nothing.”_

_He nodded, and after a few seconds walked up to me. “I know you Hikaru. Don’t go in that room.”_

_“Why?”_

_His gaze darted around the hall before he took my hand and led me down the long hallway, up the back staircase that the help uses and up to our room. We had a huge room, technically it was the whole second floor but we only used half of it. It was painted deep red and had many intricate designs and decorations. None of which made sense thanks to our darling Mother._

_Half was purple and the other black._

_Some of the designs were angelic._

_Relaxing even._

_The others were disturbing with dark images of what hell might have looked like._

_“He’s very protective of that room Hikaru.” Kaoru spoke, taking a tray filled with tea cups and snacks off the cart the maid placed in the room and moving it to the coffee table in the middle of the room._

_I snorted._

_No shit._

_“So what the hell’s in there? Tell me.” I watched as he poured me some tea and sat down beside me._

_“Just computer stuff. Programs, codes, nothing you’d be interested in.”_

_I frowned. “If it’s so boring then why have it under lock and key?”_

_It made no sense._

_Kaoru sighed and leaned back against the cushions. “He thinks ninja’s are trying to steal his ideas.”_

_I chucked._

_Ninja’s?_

_Really?_

_This house is mad._

_“I’m not kidding Hikaru.” Kaoru mumble._

_I sighed and kicked my feet up on the coffee table in front of us._

_“If he’s so fucking paranoid then how the hell does he make enough money to have all this?” I asked, gesturing around our room._

_It wasn’t logical._

_This man is crazy._

_And he supposedly makes enough money to have ten of these houses?_

_“Hikaru he steals the ideas and programs.”_

_“Then what about the people? They would sue his ass in court.”_

_“He kills them.”_

_He what?_

_I whipped my head to the side to stare at Kaoru who was staring right back at me, a calm, placid look on his face._

_“He kills them Hikaru. He finds some young, naïve university student looking to make it big in the tech world, takes them under his wing, steals their ideas and when they get too suspicious, he kills them.”_

**OOO**


	6. Café Stress

 “Hikaru!” I jerked awake at the sound of Karou’s voice. “Hey! You awake?” I looked up into his worried face and nodded stupidly. After a few seconds I sighed heavily, and looked around, realizing I wasn’t at home.

I fell asleep in Ojii-San’s shop.

Karou’s going to kiss my ass.

My eyes landed on Ojii-San standing off to the side.

He was worried.

His wrinkled, wise face was creased with fret.

“I’m fine.” I mumbled and hung my head. “Don’t worry.” I ran my fingers through my scalp, feeling the sweat running through it. 

“You sure?” Kaoru placed a warm hand on my shoulder.

I looked up at him, and smiled. “Yeah. Don’t worry. Just fell asleep and had a nightmare is all.” I laughed awkwardly, hoping they’d drop it.

It didn’t work.

Kaoru kneeled down in front of me and took my hand in his.

“Was it about him again?” He whispered, staring into my eyes.

I didn’t want to lie to him.

I couldn’t.

But I had to.

“No…” I smiled a weary smile and closed my eyes. “I dreamed I was being chased by a rabid pack of suites.”

I heard Karou sigh and Ojii-San snort in laughter.

“Oh Hikaru you young lad-come over here and let’s get you fitted for a nice suit so you don’t embarrass your brother.” Ojii-San grinned a toothy grin and waved me over to the stand.

I walked over to him and he placed a cool, bony hand on my shoulder and leaned in close to me.

“Listen lad, I don’t know what troubles you but you best not get yourself too wrapped up in it.” He glanced over to Kaoru absently scanning through some ties. “When you lose touch with what’s important, suddenly your world only becomes smaller.” He tapped my back and nodded to the raised platform in front of us. “Now why don’t you step up so I can get your measurements?”

**OOO**

After the fittings, we decided to go get some coffee.

We had about two hours to kill before they were ready and we really didn’t feel like going back home.

“How about that place?” Karou took my hand as he pointed to a small little coffee shop three stores down. “That looks nice.”

I shrugged and clasped his hand tightly in my own. “Sure.”

Together we walked down to the café and strolled inside.

It was small in comparison to the other stores; it could only seat about seven people at a time. It was painted a light green with dark, elegant boarders running along the ceiling. The tables were scattered about the small room and the counter was to the far back.

I followed Karou to the far left table and took a seat with my back against the wall.

That way I could see everything.

“Here’s nice.” He mumbled, taking off his trench coat and hanging it over the back of the wooden chair.

“Yeah.” I watched as the waitress made her way over to us, a blush on her rosy cheeks.

She was young, maybe two years older than us and had a nice body. She wasn’t too skinny but not fat either. “Hello Gentlemen.” She spoke in a thick, London accent. “Anything I can get you two?”

I glanced at Kaoru as I leaned on my elbow and shrugged, trying to appear completely indifferent though on the inside, my heart was pounding at the thought of all the strangers so close.

“We’ll have two regular coffees to start and one slice of pie thanks.” He smiled easily.

He was smooth, like it was nothing.

I sighed and closed my eyes, blocking out the low murmurings of the other patrons.

Maybe I’m reading too much into things.

Maybe I’m exaggerating the situation.

Maybe Ojii-San was right.

We came to London to start over, not dwell on the fucking past.

But I feel like no matter what I do, there’s a dark shadow following me.

“Hey Hikaru you sure your okay?” I felt Karou’s warm, comforting hand atop my own.

I opened my tired eyes and looked up at him.

“I’m fine.”

I searched his eyes for something.

But nothing was there except his all encompassing love for me.

**OOO**


	7. The Love of A Brother

I love Kaoru like no one else can.

Together, we’ve been to hell and back and survived.

He was caring.

Why he had to be born to that shithead of a man I don’t know.

But he didn’t deserve the pain.

He never did.

I looked at him, sitting across from me as he sipped his coffee, a slightly bored look on his face.

We were on our third round of coffee and had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

I chewed on my lower lip as I replayed the nightmare again in my head.

Kaoru’s words haunting my brain.

I wanted to murder the bastard.

I wanted to hang him with his own intestines.

I wanted to gorge his eyeballs out with a spoon.

But I couldn’t.

He was important in the software industry.

And he covered his fucking bloody tracks well.

I growled deep in my throat and glared down at the coffee staring back at me. I saw my reflection, and shut my eyes, hoping to block out my own image but I couldn’t. It was forever burned into my mind’s eye.

No matter how many times I tell myself I’m not like him, I’m not like my father, I still see him in me.

He’s in my eyes, my face, my hair, my body.

He’s everywhere.

I can’t escape him.

“Would you two like some sandwiches?” I looked up, startled at the waitress smiling down at us. I honestly did hear her walk up. “We can make whatever you two like.”

“…Uh…no thanks…” I avoided her eyes and sipped my coffee.

I hated the fact that she snuck up on me.

Well not really, she was serving us after all. But the fact that she was so nice bothered me a bit.

“We’ll have two ham sandwiches thanks.” I heard Kaoru order politely.

 I looked up at him to see him smiling down at me.

“I know you Hikaru. You’re starving by now.”

My stomach grumbled.

He was right.

I was hungry.

I looked off to the side and sulked.

He knew me so well, but did I know him?

He was so social, easy going.

He could speak without any awkwardness.

I looked back up at him to see him gazing at me, a hint of loneness in his eyes.

I placed my hand atop his and squeezed.

He needed me.

I needed him.

Unspoken words.

But it’s what we whole-heartedly believed.

We needed no one but each other.

Nothing else in the world mattered as long as we had each other.

I would take care of him and him me.

And we really believed that no one could ever cross that line.

No one could pick that lock.

No one could enter our world.

 

**OOO**


	8. A Mad Dinner

Tomorrow we start our new jobs as hosts, but today-tonight, we rest.

I rubbed my knuckles into my eyes as I trailed behind Kaoru into our house; he had both our suites hanging over one shoulder while I had our dinner, spaghetti and meatballs.

Take-out of course.

I followed him inside and kicked the door shut then walked into the kitchen.

Kaoru had already walked over to the island and laid out suites on the counter top then turned to face me.

“I’m tired.” I mumbled and placed the bag on a nearby counter near the coffee percolator.

“You going to go sleep now?”He asked, shrugging off his coat and looking at me.

“Maybe.” I unbuttoned my jacket and tossed it onto the nearest chair. “I’m going upstairs.” I rolled my neck. “See you in a bit.”

“What about dinner?” He called after me.

I shrugged and glanced back at him to see his eyes boring into my own, it felt as though he was searching my soul for answers to questions only he knew.

“You go ahead. I’m full on sandwiches and coffee.” I smiled a tired smile and walked upstairs.

I clicked on a few lights as I made my way to our bedroom and kicked off my shoes, shirt, and pants then curled under the covers.

I sighed and closed my eyes.

I could hear the low, muffled sounds of Kaoru as he moved around downstairs.

Then, with the knowing comfort of him somewhere nearby, I dozed off.

**OOO**

_The table was already set, complete with full dinner ware. At the center of the table sat the main course of the evening; a crudely cooked_ _Yakizakana. Surrounding it were various other dishes, a rice dish, Soba and something I think to be Korokke._

_I sat down at the dinner table across from Kaoru, completely uncomfortable with the situation. To my left sat my silent father, to my right sat my frighteningly happy mother._

_“How nice to have the family together again.” Our mother spoke, tilting her head to the side, a maniacal smile glued to her lips._

_“Yes…” Kaoru agreed, bowing his head._

_An awkward silence fell around us as we began to eat._

_I sipped my glass of juice and glanced around the table, my eyes settling on Mother._

_I watched as she stared down at the glass in front of her._

_It was filled with sparkling water, nothing that required that amount of attention._

_“…Mother?” I spoke softly, not wanting to disturb her._

_“Hikaru my Dear…” She spoke softly._

_“Yes?” I leaned forward to hear her._

_“Did you know I can see the future?”_

_…What?_

_She ran her forefinger over the rim of the glass._

_“I can see the future in this glass my Dear…”_

_“DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH MY SON!” I jumped at our father’s sudden outburst and nearly fell out of my chair._

_My head whipped to the left to see him standing up, waving a table knife at nothing above Kaoru’s head._

_What the hell?_

_My eyes turned to slits as he approached my brother, his eyes wild like a caged animal._

_“Kaoru…” I whispered, watching as he sunk lower and lower in his chair._

_“WHO SAID THAT?!” Our father screamed, looking around desperately in the air for something._

_Kaoru shook his head, speaking with his eyes telling me to shut up._

_Don’t say a word._

_With difficulty, I swallowed my voice and gripped the edge of the table and watched out of the corner of my eye as our father walked aimlessly about the dining room waving a knife and threatening something only he can see._

_Why didn’t he get treated?_

_Why couldn’t he admit he had a problem?_

_Why was he tormenting my brother?_

_Slowly, I lifted my head to look at Mother._

_Her head was now in her plate._

_She fell asleep at the table._

**OOO**


	9. Flash and Mother

I woke up in the middle of the night, my body covered in sweat.

With deep, calming breaths I looked around, taking in my surroundings. I was still in the bedroom and Kaoru now lay sleeping by my side.

I glanced at the digital clock by the bed and shook my head.

One am.

Damnit. I can never sleep through the night.

I sighed and slowly eased myself out of bed; I didn’t want to wake Kaoru. If he could sleep then that’s good. No need to make him suffer as well.

I left the room, and made my way downstairs and into the kitchen, I needed something to drink.

Something soothing.

I glanced at the coffee peculator then decided against it.

It would wake Kaoru.

So I moved to the refrigerator and poured myself a glass of milk then sat on one of the stools facing the windows to the back.

The blinds were drawn, but the moon was out.

I sipped my milk; my chin propped up on my hand as my mind raced with thoughts.

I could never stop thinking.

Then suddenly, a bright light flashed outside the blinds.

I cursed then immediately dropped to the floor, shattering the glass of milk.

That can’t be a good sign.

I pressed my back up against the cupboards, and looked around the kitchen.

Several more flashes went off before everything went silent.

My heart pounded in my chest and blood rushed in my ears.

Was that a camera flash?

It seemed like it.

But who the hell would stalk us? Sure we’re two Japanese twin brothers living in England but-oh.

Damn that son of a bitch.

Damn him to hell.

We were only in England for less than two weeks and already he’s found our ass.

Slowly I began to crawl my way into the hallway, my limbs dragging against the shattered glass and cutting into my skin. I bit my lip and kept the pain inside as I kept to the shadows.

I needed to stay calm.

I can’t afford to do anything rash.

I made my way into the dark living room then crawled up onto the couch and nestled my head into the cushions.

I wanted to go back up to Kaoru but I wasn’t stupid enough to give that idiot photographer any proof of anything so I would make do on the couch.

All by myself.

With a heavy sigh I closed my eyes and tried to drift off to sleep.

**OOO**

_“Hikaru my dear!” I turned to see Mother leaning out of her room, beckoning me with her hand._

_“Yes?” I raised an eyebrow at her, not too sure what sort of mood she was in._

_“Would you come in for a moment? I’ve picked out some darling new shirts I think would look great on you!” She smiled at me, her lips twitching._

_I looked into her eyes and saw bags, and in her hand she clutched a bottle of sleeping pills._

_Manic._

_She was in the manic phase._

_I sighed and walked into her room, glancing over the banister to see Father and Kaoru greet one of his business associates. He was a young man with messy, uncombed hair wearing a suit. I recognized him from several photographs Father had scattered about the living room._

_He seemed pissed._

_I shrugged and looked around Mother’s room; it was covered with fabric of all types and textures._

_A few minutes passed in silence before she began to talk. “Hikaru darling I think plaid would look abso-”_

_Then loud cry of pain echoed through the house._

_Kaoru!_

_I turned to run out in the hall._

_My panicked eyes darted all over the foyer but saw nothing._

_“Shit! The basement study.” I muttered to myself; then Mother latched onto my arm._

_“Hikaru honey it’s not polite to rush out of the room when Mother is speaking to you.” She patted my head and pinched my cheek._

_I gritted my teeth and yanked my arm out of her grip._

_“Not now Mother!” I growled and pushed past her._

_Kaoru needed me._

_“Hikaru!”_

_I ignored her._

_Then suddenly I was falling._

_I saw everything blur before my very eyes._

_Then nothing._

_Only the cool, calming feeling of my body colliding with the floor._

**OOO**


	10. Caution

_My mother pushed me over the banister and watched as I fell._

_Her screams echoed throughout the house._

_She made everyone come rushing to the foyer._

_The maids, butlers, servants._

_Even Father and Kaoru._

_At least, that was what I was told._

_I awoke later in my bed, my head throbbing in pain._

_The first thing I saw was Kaoru._

_He had a few scraps on his cheek, but nothing major._

_“Hey. How are you feeling?” He asked, reaching over and grabbing my hand._

_I groaned in pain and shut my eyes._

_“Like shit.” I muttered._

_It took a lot from me to forgive Mother._

_It’s not easy to accept that your biological Mother just pushed you off the second floor and watched as you fell onto the ground then passed out from the impact._

_I was lucky to survive the fall is what the doctors said._

_I cracked a few ribs, broke an arm, and got a hairline fracture on my leg._

_But I was alive._

_When the doctors asked what happened, Mother said I tripped and flipped over the banister._

_Then she broke down in tears._

_At least that’s what Kaoru told me._

**OOO**

I awoke early in the morning with my back paining me.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

Then cautiously crept into the kitchen, looking around for any sign of intrusion.

I spotted the shattered glass with milk still scattered on the floor.

Obviously Kaoru was still asleep otherwise he would have cleaned it up.

I sighed and stretched my arms then rolled my neck.

Everything seemed fine. For the moment.

So I cleaned up the mess, popped two pain killers then went upstairs to Kaoru.

He was still sleeping, rolled up in the blankets his face buried in the pillows.

I smiled and shook my head then grabbed my towel to take a shower.

**OOO**

By the time I was finished with my shower; Kaoru had already woken up and made some breakfast.

A fried omelet with toast and milk.

I felt relieved knowing he was up and around.

It made the house seem less depressing.

I pulled on my plaid pajama pants and tossed the damp towel on my head then went downstairs and into the kitchen.

“Hey you can go take your shower now.” I smiled as he walked up to me and began to towel dry my hair.

“Okay, get dressed then we’ll eat. I won’t be long.” He pushed the towel back onto my shoulders then stared into my eyes. “Why didn’t you come back to bed last night?”

I clicked my tongue and looked over his shoulder.

Should I tell him?

I should.

But I don’t want to worry him.

Besides, all I saw were several flashes that could have been photographs.

That could have been because of Father.

Or it could just be some weird kids fascinated with the fact that two Japanese twin boys are living in England.

I sighed.

I had no proof of what I saw.

Only suspicions.

“I got tired and decided to crash on the couch.” I ruffled his hair and pushed past him into the kitchen. “Go hurry up. We need to be on time.”

He lingered in the doorway for a few seconds, then left.  

I pursed my lips and looked around the kitchen; Kaoru had cleaned up and only left the food out. My eyes bore through the back window where the flash came from last night. I sighed and peaked through the drawn blinds.

And saw nothing.

Only the faint outline of boots on the lawn.

**OOO**


	11. Unexpected Visitor

The footprints lingered on my mind all morning.

Even during work.

I moved on automatic.

All my senses were perked.

I courted young ladies, took them on long walks in the park and had tea with them.

But my mind wasn’t in it.

I knew instinctively something was wrong.

Kaoru was with me the entire time.

The boss- Renge Houshakuji- decided to make us a pair.

We were busy all morning and well into lunch.

Which eased some of my concerns but not by much.

There was a feeling in my gut. Something horrible was going to happen today.

“Come on Hikaru.” I looked up to see Karou walking with a young woman a few steps ahead of me. “We need to get them back.” He smiled as the young girl giggled.

We were escorting the girl and her friend back to their hotel.

“Are you okay?” I looked down at my side to see the girl’s friend staring up at me, her eyes filled with worry.

I feigned a smile and took her hand.

“Why of course I am Princess. Let’s catch up to Karou.”

Together we strode through the glamorized doors and into low lighting.

I cursed beneath my breath.

This was making me uneasy.

“Well ladies I think this is far enough.”

Karou smiled and we bowed in sync.

“We hope you two had a lovely time and we hope to see you two again.”

Then we left.

Much to my relief.

I sighed and rubbed the palms of my hands into my eyes.

“What now?” I mumbled sourly.

Silently cursing the sun for being so bright.

I just wanted to go home and lock us away from the world.

“We go home.”

What?

We go home?

Did I hear him correctly?

“Renge gave us the rest of the day off since we met our quota already.” He explained.

Oh.

Good.

So we went home.

Or at least we tried.

We hadn’t even gotten through the front door when Father appeared.

He stood in the open doorway.

Tall.

Menacing.

His eyes boring down into us.

Belittling us.

“Father?” Karou whispered.

**OOO**


	12. Tea Time

Our Father had broken into our house.

He had someone tracking us.

That was who was outside our house last night.

At least, that’s the only conclusion I can draw from this predicament.

“You fucking ran away from home?!” He snarled, pacing in front of us.

We had moved to the living room, Karou and I sitting on the couch.

Father standing in front of us.

I opened my mouth to say something.

And felt Kaoru’s hand on my own.

He was yelling at Kaoru.

Not me.

“Hikaru my dear! You had Mommy so worried!”

I turned around to see Mother racing towards me, her arms outstretched.

“Hello Mother.”

I stood up.

Then she slapped me.

“You stupid insolent child!” She screamed in my face. “You left Mommy all alone!”

I bit my lip to stop from saying anything.

There was nothing I can say to them.

We ran away.

And they found us.

“Oh Hika-Honey!” She cried and hugged me. “Your cheek’s red! Did someone hit you?”

Yeah. You did Mother.

I sighed and patted her back.

“Kaoru, I was worried about you son!” I looked up to see Father glaring down at Karou.

Awkward silence.

“Father.”

That was the first time I heard Kaoru address him.

“What?!”

Karou stood up, his eyes unwavering.

“Father shut up and listen to me!”

Mother and I only stared.

“Hikaru and I are not children! We don’t want to live with you and Mother anymore! You two need help and we-we can’t help you anymore.” His jaw throbbed as he gritted his teeth. “You two need to go in a mental institution. Both of you. I-”

Father punched him in the jaw.

My eyes opened wide.

Kaoru fell to the ground.

“You stupid child! How dare you disrespect me like that?!” Father stood over him.

I growled and pushed Mother away from me then tackled Father to the ground.

“Hikaru!”

Then everything went dark. 

**OOO**

_The night I decided to take Karou away from home was the longest night I ever lived._

_It started at three pm._

_Tea time._

_I sat with Mother in the garden, the sun shining high in the sky but not warming the earth in the least._

_I sighed and dark my hot tea._

_“Hikaru!” I looked up to see her scowling at me. “How dare you drink such hot tea! You’ll burn your tongue!”_

_“Sorry.”_

_I felt nothing._

_I was so cold._

_Mother hummed as she poured me more tea and placed a cookie on my dish._

_“Eat up darling. Dinner isn’t till seven tonight.”_

_It went on like that for another hour._

_When I finally went inside, I couldn’t find Kaoru._

_What I did find was a trail of blood coming out of the basement study and leading out through the servant’s back entrance._

_I didn’t go further than the doorway._

_Father killed again._

_That much was obvious._

_I sighed and rubbed my forehead and made my way into the kitchen._

_There I found the cook._

_“Hey.”_

_He looked up and bowed nervously._

_He was a tall, lanky guy with messy blonde hair._

_I remembered when he fist stared working for us._

_He was always smiling._

_And talking to us._

_Now he had a nervous twitch in his right eye and never spoke._

_“Do you know where Kaoru is?” I leaned on the counter and bit into the freshly baked chocolate chip cookie he gave me._

_He looked from side to side then bowed again._

_“They aren’t around.”_

_He looked from side to side again then leaned forward._

_“I saw him and your Father drive off back into the forest.” He whispered then jerked away as though he were burned._

_“Thanks.” I mumbled and stared out at the forest out back._

_Why would they go out into the forest?_

_Especially at this late hour?_

_And if memory serves they had another meeting set up this afternoon._

_I chewed on the cookie and watched as Mother started yelling at the dying flower beds._

**OOO**


	13. Family Trade

I woke to pain shooting through my jaw and arm.

I gasped for air and blearily blinked my eyes then stared up at my ceiling.

Beside me I felt the weight of the bed shift.

“You up?” Kaoru’s voice reached my ears.

Painfully, I turned to face him.

The glow in his eyes dulled.

His face had lost the healthy color it once held.

And his posture had reverted back to when he was trapped in that maniacal house. 

Then I remembered why I really felt shitty.

Father was here.

Along with Mother.

“Where are they?” I asked, sitting up and rubbing my bruised jaw.

“Downstairs.” He inspected my arm then sighed. “Mother is…cleaning?” He frowned in a moment of confusion then continued. “And Father…well he’s conducting business.”

Business?

Here?

In England?

“Apparently one of his…business associates came along for the trip.”

I gritted my teeth, hopped out of bed and stormed my way downstairs.

When Father does business…it’s never business.

Its murder.

Like hell would I let him do that in our house.

I found Mother in the kitchen baking cookies humming a deranged tune.

“Where’s Father?” I walked up beside her.

“Oh Hikaru darling!” She sang and pinched my cheek. “Would you like a cookie?” I looked down at the mess she called a cookie.

It was crisp with vague remnants of chocolate chips poking out.

“Moth-”

She shoved one in my mouth.

“Hikaru when Mother makes cookies you eat them.” She glared at me.

I turned to the fridge to get some milk.

This thing tasted like chalk mixed with burned chocolate.

“Hikaru!” I felt a sharp sting on my shoulder.

I turned back to face her and saw her waving a large knife in my face.

She had hit me with the side of the knife.

“If you’re so damn insistent your Father’s in the shed out back with that associate of his.” She snarled at me.

Since when did we have a shed out back?

I craned my neck to see out the kitchen window and into the back yard.

Sure enough, there sat a brand new titanium shed.

**OOO**

“Father?” I called as I opened the shed door.

I heard some things fall to the ground somewhere in the back.

“Hikaru? Shut the damn door!”

I did as he said and followed the sound of his voice to the back.

What I saw, made me want to puke.

“Well?” Father laughed and slapped me on my back. “Amazing isn’t it?”

In front of me, gagged and hanging from the ceiling, was his business associate.

His arms were chained above his head and his feet were chained to the ground.

His eyes were coved in a bloody cloth and his white, pristine dress shirt was cut open and drenched in blood.

I stumbled back.

Father moved forward and with one fluid motion, slashed him down the center of his chest.

I watched as fresh blood began to pour from the wound and mingled with the dry clumps, reopening the healing lesions.

I knew Father was cruel.

I knew he was a murder.

But this…this was-

“Hikaru.”

I couldn’t look at him.

I refused to see that monster.

I kept my eyes trained on the man’s bloody feet dangling inches from the ground.

“Look at me boy!”

He grabbed my hair and forced me to look at him.

Then he grinned.

“Looks like it’s about time I start teaching you the family trade huh?”

**OOO**


	14. Parting Is No Sorrow

_Kaoru and Father didn’t return to the house for hours._

_They even missed dinner._

_I jumped as Kaoru stumbled into our room._

_He was gasping for air and covered in dirt._

_His eyes were wild with fear._

_I rushed to his side._

_“Kaoru?” I grabbed his face, forcing him to look up at me._

_He looked up at me and grabbed my shirt._

_“Hey, what’s going on?” I leaned back to look into his panicked face._

_“L-lock the…” He shook his head._

_I reached up and locked the door._

_“He-he was…wasn’t d-d-dead Hikaru!”_

_I frowned._

_Dead?_

_This can’t be good._

_“Who’s not dead?” I asked, searching his horrified eyes for any clue._

_He shook his head and pulled his hands away to scratch his scalp. “No! No…the the man! He-he wasn’t dead and ….and then…” He jumped up and began walking around, mumbling to himself._

_I followed him as he stumbled to the locked windows._

_He stared out into the darkness._

_“Kaoru talk to me.” I grabbed his shoulder._

_“He said he killed him.” He whispered. “But he wasn’t dead…we buried him alive…the ground, it…it moved…”_

_I couldn’t believe what he was saying._

_My heart pounded in my chest as I began connecting the dots._

_Father killed his associate and they went o bury him. As they were finishing, the ground began to shift as the man began to claw his way up._

_He was buried alive._

_“His hand…he g-grabbed my foot…and…and Father b-broke his skull…then he…died…again…”_

_I bit my lip and closed my eyes as I tried to calm my racing heart._

_“Okay.” I stated, my teeth clenched. “You go clean up.” I patted his shoulder and stiffly pushed him in the direction of the shower. “We’re leaving tonight. Okay? You go take a shower and I’ll get our things.”_

_It needed to stop._

_All this madness._

_It needed to end._

_I watched as he numbly walked to the bathroom, then I ran to the closet and grabbed our identical shoulder bags Mother designed. Within seconds I had them filled with our necessary clothing-shirts, pants, boxers, and a few sweaters._

_Everything basic._

_I grabbed our bags and dodged into the empty hall then took the servants staircase down to the back of the house. In the kitchen I found the cook. He sat on a stool peeling potatoes._

_“Hey.” I whispered, my eyes darting to the locked back door, the two bags, and then him._

_He looked up at me, terrified._

_“Please don’t tell.” I pleaded, shifting from foot to foot. “You understand right?”_

_If he didn’t, no one else would._

_Throughout all the insanity, he was the one other person aside from Kaoru that always had my back._

_After a few seconds, he reached into the drawer and tossed me my keys to the Hummer and unlocked the back door._

_“I-I’ll leave it open for you and your brother.” He whispered, his eyes twitching before going back to peeling potatoes._

_I nodded, silently thanking him then ran to the Hummer parked at the front of the house._

_By the time I got back inside and up in our room, Father was there._

_Yelling at Kaoru._

_All the color drained from my face as soon as I saw my brother._

_He sat on the ground at the bottom of our bed, curled into a tiny ball. His hair was wet and clung to his face and his clothing was only half on his body._

_“Kaoru.” I spoke, clearing my voice._

_Father looked at me then snarled._

_“We will finish this later.” He glared at me then kicked Kaoru._

_It took all my strength not to punch the bastard._

_When we were finally alone, I walked up to my twin brother and held out my hand to his quivering form. “Kaoru…let’s get out of here. Let’s go somewhere-anywhere, just the two of us.” He looked up at me, his face red with hot tears and pain. “Okay.” He nodded and took my hand._

_Then together, we left that cursed room._

_“Hikaru!” I looked over my shoulder to see Mother staring at me._

_“Ignore her Kaoru.” I squeezed his hand in mine and pulled him further down the hall towards the servant’s staircase._

_“Don’t you ignore Mommy!”_

_“Mother I’m just going to get some tea for you and me.” I answered her offhandedly, my focus trained on Kaoru._

_“Oh! What a wonderful baby you are!”_

_And just like that, I bought us some time._

**OOO**

I don’t remember passing out, but when I came to, I was lying face down in a puddle of blood.

Slowly, I climbed to my feet and walked out of the shed.

Father had left me there all alone.

It was night time I got out and the body was gone.

I had no idea what Father did with it and I didn’t want to know.

I just wanted to make sure Kaoru was alright.

**OOO**


	15. Breaking Free

I stumbled into our house shaking.

My heart was in my throat.

My body was throbbing in pain.

And my eyes were glued to the kitchen floor.

“Hikaru!” My head snapped up at the sound of Kaoru’s voice.

He gapped at me.

And only after a few seconds did I realize what he was staring at.

I was covered in blood.

From head to toe.

I reached up and felt my cheek.

Dried blood had matted there.

What was going on?

“Kaoru…” Only after I spoke his name did my brain start working again.

Relief spread though my body and a sad, painful smile found its way onto my lips.

“Hika…” He began and hugged me. “What happened? Where did you go?”

“Oh you up now are you?”

We froze at the sound of his voice.

Regrettably, I looked up to see him standing in the middle of the doorway, his belt in his hand.

“One beating wasn’t enough for you?”

Beating?

Who?

It was then I noticed welts on the back of Kaoru’s neck.

“Two sons and both are idiots.” Father growled and snapped the belt in his hands. “That’s what I get for having twins.” He glared at us. “But you.” He pointed at me. “You are especially stupid. One fucking lesson and you faint? What a sniveling little baby.” He snapped the belt again. “At least your brother was balls enough to stay awake.”

Then he walked up to me, and punched me in the face.

Everything blurred as I crashed down to the ground.

My head hitting it with a sickening sound that made my stomach churn.  

I blacked out for a few seconds.

When I came to, Kaoru was standing in front of me.

Facing Father.

Shot gun in his hand.

“Shut up Father.”

Father smirked.

“So you want to play man now Kaoru?”

I sat up, trying to shake off the abuse and figure a way out of this mess.

“It’s time you stop being an asshole, Father and leave us alone.”

I raised an eyebrow.

Since when was Kaoru so…strong?

Father snorted.

“You’re on your own with your brother for less than a year and suddenly you lose all the respect for me!” He laughed a mocking laugh. “Who put the idea that you are a man in your head? Hikaru?” He glared down at me sitting on the floor. “Boy you better hope your brother shoots me before I get to you.”

Then he took one menacing step towards me.

And suddenly, he fell to the ground, crying out in pain.

I gasped, my eyes trained on the blood pouring out of his arm.

Kaoru shot him.

 “K-Kaoru you…you shot him…” I spoke, grabbing his leg.

“Yes I did Hikaru. I shot Father.” His voice was cold as he glared down at Father writhing on the ground.

Slowly I stood up beside him.

“Why?”

He turned to me and placed a warm hand on my shoulder.

“Because he would have killed you Hikaru.” His eyes bore right into my own. “He would have killed the only person I ever loved.”

And then, I felt something sharp stab me in my leg.

Before I blacked out, one thought flowed though my head.

Where was Mother?

**OOO**

_Despite evading Mother, Father wasn’t as easy._

_He was still pissed off and unexpectedly walked into the kitchen just as Kaoru and I came down the servant’s staircase._

_“You two.” He spat, grabbing a water bottle out of the fridge. “You spoiled brats!” Was all he yelled before he grabbed a knife off the rack and threw it at us._

_My eyes opened wide as soon as a gasp escaped Kaoru’s mouth._

_Fuck._

_Fuck fuck fuck._

_“Kaoru…” I whispered, shocked._

_The knife was protruding out of his forearm._

_I turned back to Father to see him laughing._

_Then suddenly he jerked his head off to the side, staring at something we couldn’t see._

_“You!” He screamed and pointed the bottle at the space in front of the island. “You came to steal my codes!”_

_Normally, this would have been the perfect time to slip out._

_Unfortunately the island was right in front of the back door._

_It was too risky to leave though there._

_I took Kaoru’s good hand in my own and pulled him along the skirts of the kitchen until we reached the door that lead to the dining hall._

_It was dangerous to move when Father got like this._

_But freedom from this hell was well worth a beating_

_I looked down at Kaoru’s arm, glimpsing as the blood steadily oozed out._

_“Kaoru I know you’re in pain but we need to go.” I looked at him to see him nod, his face a mask of pain._

_I needed to get him to a hospital._

_We managed to slip though the door and though the dining hall but then came the living room where Mother usually sat sipping tea._

_And she usually sat sipping tea for hours._

_Just sitting._

_Sipping._

_Sometimes calling out for me to join her._

_But I decided to risk it._

_With any luck, all she’d do was get mad._

_And that would give us at least a few minutes to get to the Hummer._

_“Hikaru darling!” Mother shouted, absolutely delighted to see me. “Leave your brother and come sit with Mother!”_

_I clutched Kaoru’s good hand in my own and pulled him through the room, ignoring Mother._

_“Hikaru!” She screamed. “Don’t ignore me!”_

_I yanked open the other door that led to the foyer and cursed._

_I forgot the front door was locked._

_And we weren’t allowed keys._

_I glanced over my shoulder to see Mother coming towards us, her face contorted in anger._

_“Kaoru stay here I’m going to go get the keys.” With any luck, the cook would be in the storage hall._

_I closed the door on Mother and opened the other one that led to the outside hall._

_I’d go the long way instead of risking running into Father again._

_“Uhm…” I opened the door to see the cook standing there awkwardly. “I-I thought you could…use this…” He held out the front door keys to me._

**OOO**


	16. Moving

I blacked out for a few seconds.

Then woke to the sounds of Mother’s ear piercing screams.

With my heart in my throat, I looked down at my leg to see a knife protruding out.

Then I looked up to see Mother sitting on the floor, her eyes wild with fear and love.

“M-Mother…” I mumbled, the pain not yet registering in my brain.

She screamed again and slapped me hard across my face.

Then she broke down crying beside Father.

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat at the sight of Mother and Father. Father gripped his arm, trying to stop the bleeding and begging whatever he could see but we couldn’t to stop this torture. And Mother just kept crying, begging Father to stop talking.

I stood up with the help of Kaoru.

He had grown quiet after Mother’s screams and dropped the gun to the ground.

“Kaoru.” I pulled him back down to earth. “Go get our bags and passports. I’m going to take a quick shower.” I gripped my leg, trying to slow down the bleeding.

I couldn’t leave the house with all this dried blood caked onto my clothing and skin.

It’d cause too much attention.

Especially if I needed to go to the hospital.

“Let me pull the knife out.”

He helped me to the living room and grabbed the medical kit.

“Hurry.” Was all I asked as I stared at the doorway that led back into the kitchen.

Within seventeen minutes we were out the front door, my leg patched up thanks to my brother. 

I took Kaoru’s hand in my own as we hustled down the familiar English street, one bag strapped onto each of our shoulders.

I cursed under my breath as pain shot through my leg.

If I wasn’t carful I’d open up the stitches again.

“It’s going to be okay.” I mumbled as I hailed a cab. “I’ll make sure of it.”

This time, I was going to make sure they wouldn’t find us.

I took his bag and placed them in the trunk then jumped in beside him. “Airport.” I told the driver, then glanced back at the streets in which we once lived.

Making sure no one was following us.

We arrived at the airport in good time considering we were both injured.

Me with my newly bummed leg and Kaoru with his wounded back.

We paid extra to get onto the next plane back to Japan.

And I mentally patted my back that I had set up a credit card specifically for times like this.

Before we bordered the plane, I placed a call to the local police to have Mother and Father detained in England for the murder of his associate.

And as soon as we got to Japan, I’d alert the authorities and tell them what happened.

Every last detail.

Over the last seventeen years.

It was time for this nightmare to be over.

It was time we got to live a normal life.

I heaved a heavy sigh as I sunk into the window seat, Kaoru opting for the isle.

Subconsciously, I rubbed my injured leg, my mind racing with things I need to do once we landed in Japan.

First being a place to sleep.

I suppose we could stay in a hotel for a few days.

Depending on what time we arrive in Tokyo, I’d either go to the authorities, or find us a place to sleep.

“Is you leg hurting you?” I looked over to see Kaoru’s face inches away from my own.

“A little.” I mumbled, reclining my head onto the head rest. “How’s your back?”

“Here” He placed a few pills in my hand. “I’ll get you something to drink. What would you like?”

He ignored my question.

I held the pills up to my eyes. “Tea.” They were painkillers.

Strong ones.

It felt like that last few hours rushed by in a blur.

To be perfectly honest I wasn’t even sure when we boarded the plane.

“It’s warm, take it with the pills.” Kaoru whispered as he slipped the steaming cup into my hand.

Absently I nodded and took the pills then began to relax, my body shutting down to recuperate.

Soon, we’d be living a new life.

**OOO**

_Gratefully I accepted the keys from the cook._

_He was a lifesaver._

_“W-I-is he okay?” He whispered, looking at Kaoru sitting down on one of the chairs behind me._

_I swallowed and shook my head. “No…Father stabbed him…”_

_He nodded and brushed past me, quietly closing the door behind him. “G-give me a m-minute…”_

_Wordless he knelt in front of Kaoru and inspected the wound, then he ripped off part of his shirt and nodded to himself._

_I stepped up beside him, thoroughly confused._

_“H-He is lucky…” The cook mumbled, placing his right hand on Kaoru’s forearm, his thumb and forefinger between the blade. “It’s not s-serious…”_

_It isn’t?_

_Well that’s fantastic news._

_But how does he know that?_

_I frowned as he gripped the hilt of the knife then applied pressure with his right hand, causing Kaoru to gasp in pain._

_“Shhhh…” He soothed, easing the blade out of his arm._

_I chewed my lower lip, fiddling with the keys in my hand._

_I didn’t know what to do._

_Should I move? Give him some room?_

_But I needed to be near my brother._

_I couldn’t leave his side._

_When the blade was finally out, he wrapped the cloth he ripped around the wound and tied it then stood up, the bloody knife in his hand._

_“T-take him to a h-hospital before you g-go…” He looked at me, his eye twitching._

_Dubiously, I nodded and helped Kaoru to his feet._

_“How did you know what to do?” I asked, wrapping my arm around my brother’s waist._

_The cook glanced over his shoulder before taking the keys out of my hand and opening the front door. “I-I studied medicine once…” Was all he said before he gently pushed us out of the house. “G-go before they notice.”_

_Then he shut the front door._

_And locked it._

**OOO**


	17. Aftermath

After a few weeks, Kaoru and I now lived together in our own little apartment. Thanks to an old friend of ours, Tamaki Suoh.

He suspected about our situation but opted to keep his mouth shut until he figured we needed him.

Which I personally appreciated.

Being the nice guy that he is he paid for everything for us; claiming that it’s what a gentleman must do when his friends are in trouble.

He’s paying for this apartment.

Our lawyer.

 And just about everything else.

I’m positive that it’s thanks to his good word and help that we haven’t been mobbed by the public yet. He’s helping us to keep face while all of the investigations are being done.

I stared down at the teapot shinning on the kitchen table, my reflection smiling back at me.

Which was odd because I wasn’t smiling at all.

I shook my head and closed my eyes.

He knows the full story yet he doesn’t hold us one bit responsible. 

He says he’ll stay by our side till the end. And if need be, he’ll help us get out of whatever the end result is.   

Even if that means us leaving the country once again.                                                

I sighed and walked over to the kitchen window.

We were back in Japan, but it wasn’t as comfortable as I had once dreamed it would be.

It was evening, and the streets below were bustling with people of all ages.

Mothers with their children, teenagers walking with their friends, men with briefcases going who knows where. They were all living their lives, their normal, uneventful, mindless lives.

I turned away from the ordinary scene and stared at the simple, bare kitchen. We had a small table in the middle of it all, a refrigerator connected onto the counter, a microwave above the cramped stove; it was all standard, yet to me, it looked depressing. 

We haven’t seen Mother or Father since England.

Mother finally got the help she needed thanks to the authorities.

And me.

Every month I receive a postcard from her from the mental hospital, asking me to come have tea with her.

I keep toying with the idea of visiting, but then I think of all the times she’s hurt me and I decide against it.

Maybe one day I’ll visit her.

She is my mother after all.

And Father?

He’s still in England, sitting in a jail thanks to some misidentification.

They told us it’d take some time before our parents belongings can be released to us.

But honestly?

I’m not sure I want them.

It’s bad enough the Hitachiin name is now completely trashed and we have private and company lawsuits up our ass till we lie in our graves but to have to handle all of their affairs as well?

It was too much.

When the property rights are finally released to us, I’m planning on selling them.

Though I really shouldn’t be complaining.

This is significantly better than sleeping with one eye open.

No more looking over my shoulder when I go out with Kaoru.

No more double and triple checking the window locks.

No more Father.

No more Mother.

For now, all we can do its grit our teeth and hope for the best.

I pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sat down.

I hope that when things clear up, Kaoru and I can go back to England and live there.

I began to fiddle with the salt and sugar containers.

In hindsight, things were pretty good over there.

We had jobs, a nice, quiet life, and I miss that old man.

I just want to live in peace with my brother.

Is that too much to ask?

I sighed and ran a hand though my hair and stared back at my reflection in the window.

And for a split second, I thought I saw it stand up, though I was sitting absolutely still.

I shook my head and rubbed the palms of my hands into my eyes.

I was tired.

Behind me I heard the front door open and Kaoru come in.

“Hey Hikaru.” He greeted.

I turned and smiled at him.

He went food shopping.

“Hey.” I smiled and watched as he walked into the kitchen.

“You want some tea before I start reading?”

I nodded, a smile on my face.

He was really into reading these days, ever since Father had been put in jail and the authorities have been checking in on us.

To be safe they said we should lay low for awhile until things were completely sorted out, which was fine with me, I didn’t want to risk anything when freedom was so close.

“So how was shopping?”

He shrugged and pulled a box of ready-made tea out of the bag. “Easy.”

I nodded and watched as he went about boiling the water.

He seemed normal.

Nothing fazed him.

The only thing that changed was his new love of reading.

Is that something to be concerned about?

I drummed my fingers on the table top.

“While I was out I picked you up some ham.” He grinned as he pulled deli sliced ham out of the bag. “It’s supposed to taste really good in sandwiches. I was thinking maybe later we’d try it. What’d you think?” He raised an eyebrow at me in expectation.

I nodded. “Sounds good.”

Our relationship hasn’t changed.

Except for the fact that I now feel at ease about him going out by himself.

We still sleep together, eat together, and do just about everything else together.

We’re only ever apart for about an hour, and that’s when he goes food shopping.

Because honestly I hate it.

It’s boring.

Plus I never know what to buy.

“Here’s your tea Hikaru.” Kaoru smiled warmly at me as he placed the large mug in my hand. “I’m going to the study okay?”

I nodded and watched as he walked away.

Then stood up and followed him.

I leaned in the doorway and watched as he settled down behind the desk. The room was warm and dimly lighted, but it wasn’t creepy.

In fact it was soothing.

The entire apartment now had that feeling.

That warm, calming, nothing can ever go wrong sort of feeling.

But why wasn’t it that way when it was just me?

I frowned.

Was something wrong with Kaoru? 

Does he have a problem?

Is he the same as Mother?

I sipped my tea as I stared at Kaoru sitting in the study.

Was he indeed mad?

Or was I just the pot calling the kettle black?

I shook my head and stared down at my reflection in the tea.

Perhaps, I was the one who was insane after all.

And then, my reflection nodded at me, answering my unspoken question.  

The tea’s gone Mad ~ End 


End file.
